RFID transponders, either active or passive, are sometimes used with a RFID reader for communicating information. Active RFID transponders can have an independent source of power, such as a battery, while passive RFID transponders are typically powered by wireless radiation. RFID readers can be a source of such radiation.
A RFID reader is usually configured to transmit a radio frequency (“RF”) electromagnetic field, which can include a data signal. In the case of a passive ultra high frequency (“UHF”) transponder, the RF electromagnetic field, sometimes called an interrogation signal, energizes the transponder, thereby enabling the transponder to respond by modulating the interrogation signal using a technique called backscattering. Other communication protocols may be used depending, at least in part, on whether the selected transponder is passive or active, whether the transponder is configured as a near field transponder or as a far field transponder, and/or other factors as may be known to those skilled in the art.
A number of deficiencies and problems associated with manufacturing, using, operating, and communicating with conventional RFID transponders are identified herein. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, exemplary solutions to many of these identified problems are embodied by the present invention, which is described in detail below.